Without pulse diagnosis, Li Se wouldn't have realized Su Mei was poisoned by a蛊 (gǔ). It was a rare Crimson Sea Profound Heaven Gu, extremely difficult to detect in its early stages, which was why he hadn't noticed it before.
"I feel so unwell..." Su Mei winced in pain, her body trembling violently as a chill emanated from her.
"Miss..." the shadowed bodyguard said anxiously.
Li Se carried Su Mei into the car and unbuttoned her clothes. Though the expanse of snow-white was alluring, with those high peaks, this was not the time for lingering. He quickly took out his silver needles, infused them with his true qi, and inserted them into Su Mei's acupuncture points.
After a while, Su Mei's expression of pain began to subside. She immediately regained consciousness. Upon noticing she was unclothed, her pretty face flushed slightly. "Little brother, so forward?"
Li Se immediately covered her with her clothes and explained, "You were poisoned, and this was the only way I could treat you."
Su Mei's complexion turned from red to pale. "Can you cure it?"
"I've temporarily stabilized your condition. To cure this Gu poison, a specific medicinal ingredient is required," Li Se sighed. The Crimson Sea Profound Heaven Gu was too rare; even for him, curing it was somewhat tricky. Without that particular ingredient, he could only suppress it, and even that suppression wouldn't last long, perhaps only a month at most.
"What medicinal ingredient?" Su Mei asked quickly.
"Purple Leaf Heavenly Lotus!" Li Se replied.
"What kind of medicinal ingredient is that?" Su Mei had never even heard of it.
"It's also a rare ingredient, very difficult to find," Li Se admitted. He himself had never encountered the Purple Leaf Heavenly Lotus, which indicated its extreme scarcity.
"No matter what, I will obtain this herb!" Su Mei gritted her teeth.
Li Se hesitated. "Sister Mei, you've been afflicted with the Crimson Sea Profound Heaven Gu. This Gu poison is incredibly rare. Even the most skilled Gu masters would find it difficult to concoct it. Who exactly wants you dead? Is it someone from your family?"
A cold glint flashed in Su Mei's eyes. "These people have long since lost all reason. To achieve their goals, they'll resort to any means."
Li Se remained silent. Truly, there was no sentiment in these prominent families. Take the Zhang family, for instance. When had they ever considered Zhang Aiming as family? In their eyes, profit was always paramount. Even Tang Ru and Zhang Li could be so cruel to their own daughter. Such people were no different from beasts.
"You must know that my Su family hails from the capital, a second-tier family there. However, my grandfather practiced some martial art and seemed to have suffered qi deviation. Then, a Chinese physician known as the 'Poison Doctor' claimed that he needed my body as a medicinal ingredient to cure my grandfather's qi deviation. The Su family fully believed him. If not for him, I might have died in the capital long ago..." Su Mei sighed. The "him" she referred to was naturally the shadowed bodyguard.
Li Se frowned slightly. "Using you as a medicinal ingredient?"
"Yes. You are a renowned physician, do you know about using a person as a medicinal ingredient?" Su Mei looked at Li Se and asked.
"The 'Poison Doctor,' it seems that title is quite fitting," Li Se immediately understood that this Poison Doctor was no simple individual. Su Mei possessed a naturally charming constitution, a physique not only useful for espionage but also capable of producing miraculous elixirs or weapons if used as a medicinal ingredient. However, curing qi deviation with it was utterly impossible.
"The so-called qi deviation is essentially a result of internal heat energy flowing erratically during cultivation, leading to incessant inner qi disturbances and hallucinations. I've never heard of using a person as a medicinal ingredient to treat qi deviation," Li Se said with a cold laugh. This Poison Doctor likely had other intentions.
Su Mei gritted her teeth. "The Su family actually believes in such unorthodox methods!"
"Sister Mei, for now, please focus on finding the Purple Leaf Heavenly Lotus. Once you find this ingredient, I can lift the Gu poison for you," Li Se advised.
"Alright!" Su Mei nodded, then began to fidget.
"What's wrong?" Li Se asked.
"Are you going to watch me get dressed?" Su Mei asked with a half-smile.
Li Se let out an "er" sound and quickly turned his head. However, hearing the rustling sounds of clothes being put on made him feel a strange itch, especially with such a beauty beside him. Few men could resist Su Mei's allure.
Not far away, Zhang Cheng and others were witnessing this scene. They truly hadn't expected their final move to be thwarted by Li Se.
"How can this kid's skills be so formidable?" Tang Ru asked incredulously.
"And the Su family is even involved. It seems it won't be easy for us to make a move on Li Se again," Zhang Cheng said, feeling unwilling.
Soon, they returned to the nursing home and reported the situation in detail to Zhang Mao.
Zhang Mao sighed. "Has the Zhang family reached its limit?"
"Dad, with me here, the Zhang family will not decline," Zhang Cheng said confidently.
Zhang Mao knew his son's capabilities. It was precisely his son's incompetence that led to the Zhang family's decline. Both sons were more useless than the other. He had originally hoped to use the hemostatic and analgesic drugs to propel the Zhang family to new heights, but now it seemed obtaining these two drugs was too difficult. He even harbored murderous intentions towards Zhang Aiming and Li Se, but unfortunately, they had failed.
"Dad, what should we do next?" Zhang Cheng asked. He was the type of person who couldn't make decisions or come up with good ideas, so he could only ask Zhang Mao. Without Zhang Mao's instructions, he wouldn't know what to do next.
"Dad, we must get our hands on these hemostatic and analgesic drugs. Otherwise, how can I manage this company?" Zhang Li was still thinking about taking charge of Yuanfeng Pharmaceuticals and realizing his ambitions.
Zhang Mao sighed. One couldn't make decisions, and the other lacked ability yet yearned for ambition. Even now, he was fixated on Yuanfeng Pharmaceuticals, a company barely worth ten million. What was so captivating about it? It showed a complete lack of foresight.
Zhang Mao closed his eyes and said, "Have Zhang Aiming come to see me."
"Dad, why would you want to see that ungrateful wretch?" Tang Ru asked displeased, her heart harboring a desire to kill Zhang Aiming.
"Do as I say and don't ask so many questions. It would be best to have that Li Se come along as well. I want to see them!"
"Alright!" Zhang Cheng had no choice but to agree.